Crush plastic bottles after use

Bhubaneswar: We often ignore this warning: Crush bottle after use. We keep reusing drinking water bottles and soft drink bottles for long. But, we should abandon them once they develop scratches inside. The reason: Bacteria grow in scratches of bottles after prolonged use.

“Daily wear and tear from repeated wash and reuse can lead to breakdown of plastic as it thins or cracks. Faults in plastic harbour bacteria posing grave health hazard to the users,” said an expert quoting the Journal of Practical Gastroenterology, US (2007).

Normally, plastic bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Significantly, food safety agencies like US Food and Drug Administration consider PET as safe for single and repeat use. However, scientists suggest cleaning bottles to prevent accumulation of bacteria and repudiating their use once scratches develop. 

Researchers from University of Calgary, Canada, collected 76 samples of water from bottles used and reused by elementary schoolchildren. They found nearly two-thirds of the samples had bacteria that exceeded prescribed limits for safe drinking water. Hence, it is advisable to clean the bottles regularly and avoid their use when they develop scratches. 

Significantly, several soft drink manufactures make use of bottles for single use and follow a unique coding pattern – Resin Identification Code (RIC) – indicating the required frequency of their reuse. But, many are unaware of the restrictions and use the bottles frequently.

“The plastic bottles are easy to handle and I get it free when I buy soft drink. Since I have not faced any issue for a long time, I will continue to use it,” said Sumitra Sahoo, a homemaker.

Interestingly, bottle manufacturers in the city do not follow the standard practice. The city’s food safety officer informs Orissa POST that she had informed her higher-ups on the issue.

“We have issued licence to the manufactures as they have BIS certification. So, we will take necessary action once we get a response from the higher-ups,” assures Food Safety Officer Pratiksha Mohapatra.

Environmentalists have expressed concern on the issue. “The government has generated awareness and come up with healthy alternatives. The increasing plastic waste is a matter of concern and we have to find out solutions,” said environmentalist Sunder Narayan Patro.